Red Moss is a wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

 bog

Bog

A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

 in Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

, Scotland, located at the northwestern edge of the village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 of Netherley. (Grid Reference NO 955 856) The moss is designated a national Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 by Scottish Natural Heritage

Scottish Natural Heritage

Scottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...

, due to its biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 and undisturbed character. The elevation of Red Moss is 113 metres above mean sea level. The upland areas above Red Moss are characterised as agricultural and woodland parcels which are generally attractive and separated by ancient drystone walls or hedgerows.

Hydrology and water quality

The outlet to Red Moss with respect to drainage is the Crynoch Burn

Crynoch Burn

Crynoch Burn is a stream in Aberdeenshire that is tributary to the River Dee. This stream rises somewhat above Netherley and flows near Netherley House; and thence into the Red Moss, a significant natural bog habitat; thence near the historic Lairhillock Inn; and finally by the village of...

, which continues by the Lairhillock Inn

Lairhillock Inn

The Lairhillock Inn is an historic coaching inn along an old carriage route approximately four miles north of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In 2007 a new primary school opened across the road named Lairhillock Primary School, which replaced the old Netherley School and Maryculter School and...

 and thence through Maryculter

Maryculter

Maryculter or Kirkton of Maryculter is a village in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The River Dee separates it from the town of Peterculter, and the B979 road runs through Maryculter. There are two hotels: The Old Mill Inn, a former coaching inn that dates back 200 years, and...

 and the Oldman Wood

Oldman Wood

Oldman Wood is a publicly owned forest in Kincardineshire, Scotland.Crynoch Burn, a tributary of the River Dee, flows through the Oldman Wood.-References:...

. Feeding the Red Moss are the headwaters of Crynoch Burn, along with smaller tributaries draining lands of the south and east.

The bog is clearly acid

Acid

An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...

ic, with pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 levels in the range of 5.68; moreover, electrical conductivity of the waters are low. Summer water temperatures are in the range of 17.5 to 18.0 degrees Celsius

Celsius

Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...

.

History

Roman legion

Roman legion

A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...

s marched by Netherley traversing the route from Raedykes

Raedykes

Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over 3 miles NW of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902...

 to Normandykes

Normandykes

Normandykes is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the River Dee and the B9077 road further south. Aerial photographs...

 as they sought higher ground evading the bogs of Red Moss and other low-lying mosses associated with the Burn of Muchalls

Burn of Muchalls

The Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks...

. Elsick Mounth

Elsick Mounth

The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass of the route is attained within the Durris Forest...

 is one of the ancient routes crossing the Grampian Mountains, lying west of Netherley. Alexander Silver

Alexander Silver

Alexander Silver was a wealthy East India trader, who lived in Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in the late 18th century; he and his son George Silver were noted agricultural innovators of their era. Alexander Silver built the Netherley House mansion in Netherley and died there in 1797...

, a wealthy East India trader, built Netherley House

Netherley House

Netherley House is a mansion built by Alexander Silver in the late 18th century in Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated near the northerly flowing drainage of Crynoch Burn . The home was sold to Horatio Ross by James Silver, son of George Silver in 1853 for 33,000 pounds sterling....

, a mansion

Mansion

A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...

 house in Netherley in the late 18th century; he and his son George Silver

George Silver (Scotland)

George Silver was an agricultural innovator, in Kincardineshire, Scotland, who flourished in the early nineteenth century. Silver was born in the village of Netherley. He was the son of Alexander Silver, who made his fortune with the East India Trading Company. Alexander Silver built the...

were noted agricultural innovators of their era.